965 research outputs found
Deterministic sub-linear space LCE data structures with efficient construction
Given a string of symbols, a longest common extension query
asks for the length of the longest common prefix of the
th and th suffixes of . LCE queries have several important
applications in string processing, perhaps most notably to suffix sorting.
Recently, Bille et al. (J. Discrete Algorithms 25:42-50, 2014, Proc. CPM 2015:
65-76) described several data structures for answering LCE queries that offers
a space-time trade-off between data structure size and query time. In
particular, for a parameter , their best deterministic
solution is a data structure of size which allows LCE queries to be
answered in time. However, the construction time for all
deterministic versions of their data structure is quadratic in . In this
paper, we propose a deterministic solution that achieves a similar space-time
trade-off of query time using
space, but significantly improve the construction time to
.Comment: updated titl
Dynamics of a tracer granular particle as a non-equilibrium Markov process
The dynamics of a tracer particle in a stationary driven granular gas is
investigated. We show how to transform the linear Boltzmann equation describing
the dynamics of the tracer into a master equation for a continuous Markov
process. The transition rates depend upon the stationary velocity distribution
of the gas. When the gas has a Gaussian velocity probability distribution
function (pdf), the stationary velocity pdf of the tracer is Gaussian with a
lower temperature and satisfies detailed balance for any value of the
restitution coefficient . As soon as the velocity pdf of the gas
departs from the Gaussian form, detailed balance is violated. This
non-equilibrium state can be characterized in terms of a Lebowitz-Spohn action
functional defined over trajectories of time duration . We
discuss the properties of this functional and of a similar functional
which differs from the first for a term which is non-extensive
in time. On the one hand we show that in numerical experiments, i.e. at finite
times , the two functionals have different fluctuations and
always satisfies an Evans-Searles-like symmetry. On the other hand we cannot
observe the verification of the Lebowitz-Spohn-Gallavotti-Cohen (LS-GC)
relation, which is expected for at very large times . We give
an argument for the possible failure of the LS-GC relation in this situation.
We also suggest practical recipes for measuring and
in experiments.Comment: 16 pages, 3 figures, submitted for publicatio
Fluctuation-Dissipation relations in Driven Granular Gases
We study the dynamics of a 2d driven inelastic gas, by means of Direct
Simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) techniques, i.e. under the assumption of
Molecular Chaos. Under the effect of a uniform stochastic driving in the form
of a white noise plus a friction term, the gas is kept in a non-equilibrium
Steady State characterized by fractal density correlations and non-Gaussian
distributions of velocities; the mean squared velocity, that is the so-called
{\em granular temperature}, is lower than the bath temperature. We observe that
a modified form of the Kubo relation, which relates the autocorrelation and the
linear response for the dynamics of a system {\em at equilibrium}, still holds
for the off-equilibrium, though stationary, dynamics of the systems under
investigation. Interestingly, the only needed modification to the equilibrium
Kubo relation is the replacement of the equilibrium temperature with an
effective temperature, which results equal to the global granular temperature.
We present two independent numerical experiment, i.e. two different observables
are studied: (a) the staggered density current, whose response to an impulsive
shear is proportional to its autocorrelation in the unperturbed system and (b)
the response of a tracer to a small constant force, switched on at time ,
which is proportional to the mean-square displacement in the unperturbed
system. Both measures confirm the validity of Kubo's formula, provided that the
granular temperature is used as the proportionality factor between response and
autocorrelation, at least for not too large inelasticities.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures, submitted for publicatio
Rapid and Accurate Identification of Nontuberculous Mycobacteria Directly from Positive Primary MGIT Cultures by MALDI-TOF MS
Over the last years, nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) have emerged as important human pathogens. Accurate and rapid mycobacterial species identification is needed to successfully diagnose, treat, and manage infections caused by NTM. Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry, MALDI-TOF MS, was demonstrated to effectively identify mycobacteria isolates subcultured from solid or liquid media rather than new positive cultures. The present study aims to develop a new extraction protocol to yield rapid and accurate identification of NTM from primary MGIT cultures by MALDI-TOF MS. A total of 60 positive MGIT broths were examined by the Bruker Biotyper system with Mycobacteria Library v. 2.0 (Bruker Daltonics GmbH & Co. KG., Bremen, Germany). The results were compared with those obtained by the molecular method, line probe assay GenoType Mycobacterium CM/AS/NTM-DR. All samples were concordantly identified by MALDI-TOF MS and the molecular test for all the tested mycobacteria. Fifty-seven (95%) MGIT positive cultures for NTM from clinical samples had a MALDI-TOF MS analysis score S ≥ 1.8. Although a small number of strains and a limited diversity of mycobacterial species were analysed, our results suggest that MALDI-TOF MS could represent a promising routine diagnostic tool for identifying mycobacterial species directly from primary liquid culture
Sand stirred by chaotic advection
We study the spatial structure of a granular material, N particles subject to
inelastic mutual collisions, when it is stirred by a bidimensional smooth
chaotic flow. A simple dynamical model is introduced where four different time
scales are explicitly considered: i) the Stokes time, accounting for the
inertia of the particles, ii) the mean collision time among the grains, iii)
the typical time scale of the flow, and iv) the inverse of the Lyapunov
exponent of the chaotic flow, which gives a typical time for the separation of
two initially close parcels of fluid. Depending on the relative values of these
different times a complex scenario appears for the long-time steady spatial
distribution of particles, where clusters of particles may or not appear.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Attempted density blowup in a freely cooling dilute granular gas: hydrodynamics versus molecular dynamics
It has been recently shown (Fouxon et al. 2007) that, in the framework of
ideal granular hydrodynamics (IGHD), an initially smooth hydrodynamic flow of a
granular gas can produce an infinite gas density in a finite time. Exact
solutions that exhibit this property have been derived. Close to the
singularity, the granular gas pressure is finite and almost constant. This work
reports molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of a freely cooling gas of nearly
elastically colliding hard disks, aimed at identifying the "attempted" density
blowup regime. The initial conditions of the simulated flow mimic those of one
particular solution of the IGHD equations that exhibits the density blowup. We
measure the hydrodynamic fields in the MD simulations and compare them with
predictions from the ideal theory. We find a remarkable quantitative agreement
between the two over an extended time interval, proving the existence of the
attempted blowup regime. As the attempted singularity is approached, the
hydrodynamic fields, as observed in the MD simulations, deviate from the
predictions of the ideal solution. To investigate the mechanism of breakdown of
the ideal theory near the singularity, we extend the hydrodynamic theory by
accounting separately for the gradient-dependent transport and for finite
density corrections.Comment: 11 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication on Physical Review
ODESSE: a new tool for simulation and design of solar desiccant cooling systems in energy efficient buildings
First report of leaf spot caused by Colletotrichum kahawae on cultivated rocket (Eruca sativa) in Italy.
Vaccination for seasonal influenza in patients with cancer: Recommendations of the Italian Society of Medical Oncology (AIOM)
Background: Influenza virus causes annual epidemics in the winter\u2013spring season with significant morbidity in the general population and important mortality in high-risk groups, including cancer patients. Opinions on the suitability of patients with malignancies not undergoing active treatment and in different phases of antineoplastic therapy, to receive influenza vaccination, vary considerably among oncologists, sometimes even within one center.
Methods: We reviewed available data, including recommendations by national health authorities, on impact of influenza in patients with cancer and their capacity to mount protective immunological responses to vaccination, thus allowing, on behalf of Italian Association of Medical Oncology, to make suitable recommendations for the prevention and treatment of seasonal influenza.
Results and discussion: Patients with cancer often have disease- or treatment-related immunosuppression, and as a consequence, they may have a suboptimal serologic response to influenza vaccination. The protective effect of the differ- ent preparations of influenza vaccines in patients with cancer has not been widely investigated, especially in adult patients harboring solid tumors. The optimal timing for administration of influenza vaccines in patients receiving chemotherapy is also not clearly defined. However, since vaccination is the most effective method, along with antiviral drugs in selected patients, for preventing influenza infection, it has to be recommended for cancer patients. Implementing vaccination of close contacts of oncology patients would be an additional tool for enhancing protection in fragile patient populations
- …